


The Best Birthday Present

by Aria_Lerendeair



Series: Magnus Bane Birthday Bash 2020 [8]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Brief Chemistry Accident as a Plot Device, Fluff, Getting Together, High School AU, Human AU, Liking from afar, M/M, Out and Proud Magnus Bane, Pining, Shy Gay Alec Lightwood, adorable boys, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28296450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: Alec has liked Magnus from afar for ages, and wants to give Magnus a birthday present he'll actually love and enjoy.He doesn't expect Magnus to love his gift as much as he does - and even more than that, he doesn't expect to ever confess that he was the one to give it to Magnus.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Magnus Bane Birthday Bash 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2069832
Comments: 13
Kudos: 337





	The Best Birthday Present

**Author's Note:**

> high-warlock-of-brooklyn Prompted: POPULAR KID MAGNUS HAVING A BIRTHDAY AT SCHOOL AND SHY ALEC LEAVING HIM GIFT IN HIS LOCKER
> 
> I NEEDED THIS SO MUCH YES.

Magnus Bane’s birthday should have been a school holiday for how excited people were about it. 

  
Truth be told, _everyone_ was excited about it. 

  
Alec had heard dozens of people talking about the presents that would be getting Magnus, and each one was grander than the last. He sighed and looked at the small bag in his hand. This was going to be stupid, and Magnus was probably going to laugh. 

  
Magnus had been given a dozen roses (at least four times that Alec had seen) and had been given candy, gift cards, gift after gift that he had accepted with grace and happiness, because he was Magnus. Alec sighed and adjusted the tissue paper in the bag for the fifth or sixth time. Magnus wasn’t going to think anything of the gift, hell, he’d probably throw it away. 

  
Alec took a deep breath and turned the corner, spying Magnus’ locker. 

  
There were more balloons tied to it already and he rolled his eyes. Even with his car, Magnus was going to have a hard time getting them all home without upsetting anyone. No one thought of those types of things, they just wanted to outdo everyone else. 

  
On the other hand, at least they had a chance of being noticed by Magnus, unlike him. He just wanted to give Magnus something that would maybe make him smile, even if he didn’t keep it. Alec took a deep breath and unlocked Magnus’ locker quickly, glancing around. No one knew that he had the code to Magnus’ locker, and he wasn’t about to let that change. 

  
He placed the bag on top of the books and shut it quickly before hurrying down the hall to the office. Magnus would see it (hopefully) before he left for the day, and he could see Magnus’ reaction before he left to go pick up his siblings. 

  
~!~

  
Magnus was _exhausted._

  
Even exhausted, he kept the smile plastered to his face as he saw the balloons tied to his locker and tried not to groan. He was going to put a ban on balloons next year. This was getting fucking ridiculous. He was already going to have his car smelling like roses for a week and while he liked a good rose, not _this_ many. 

  
He took the card off the balloons and grinned at it, just in case they were watching and tucked it into his pocket with the others, keeping them tied to the locker as he opened it. All he wanted was to drop off his books and go sleep for the rest of the evening. He might as well give up on doing any homework, no matter what finals were next week and-

  
The sight of a small black bag sitting on top of his books made him blink and hunch his shoulders. Someone was able to get into his locker? His heart jumped into his throat and he reached out to take the small bag. It was plain black, no glitter, no embellishments and it didn’t feel heavy either. 

  
Resigning himself to another gift card, Magnus pulled out the tissue paper carefully and blinked in surprise at the small card that fluttered into his palm, and a tissue-wrapped rectangle. He flipped the card over, studying the script. He smiled faintly. 

_  
‘For luck during Finals. You always study so hard, this should bring you luck and protection so you avoid those end of year colds. Have a Happy Birthday, Magnus’_

  
Magnus undid the last of the tissue paper and stared at the small charm, the golden chain falling over his fingers. It was brilliantly red, stitched with gold lettering and he rubbed a thumb over it. His breath caught and he looked around, but no one was looking at him, and no one was meeting his eye. He bit down on his lip and stared at the charm a bit longer. 

  
Luck and protection huh? Well, he could always use more of that. 

  
Magnus lifted the charm chain over his head and let it settle against his chest, the red and gold standing out against the black and dark blue he was wearing. He looked down at the charm, smiling faintly. He cleared his throat, hoping that whoever had gifted it to him was at least within earshot in the busy hallway. 

  
“Thank you,” he managed, tightening his hand around it. He took a deep breath. He smiled and looked down at the charm again, tucking the note into his inside pocket. "Thank you," Magnus repeated, glancing around. No one was looking at him. 

  
He turned his attention to the charm again. Who the hell would have given him a gift like this? Who paid enough attention to know that he worried about finals, and that he got sick almost every winter the second the weather changed? 

  
Magnus shook himself and let the charm fall back against his chest again. 

  
~!~

  
Curious about the charm around his neck, that he hadn’t bothered to take off, Magnus did some research that night. Every word he read only made him more determined to find out who had given it to him. He read the description again, how they were more powerful when gifted between loved ones. Did whoever had given him the omamori charm _like_ him? 

  
He bit down on his lip and traced his fingertips over the charm again. 

  
Well, maybe one day they’d tell him who they were. 

  
~!~

  
Magnus made it a point to wear the charm every single day for the rest of the week. He knew that the entire school was buzzing about it, wanting to know who had given it to him. When he’d made it clear that it had been given to him by someone secret, no shortage of people had stepped up to say that it had been them. 

  
But none of them felt right. None of them knew what it stood for. That it was for luck and protection. 

  
Magnus bit down on his lip and kept wearing it. 

  
He wore it through all of finals, and kept it clenched in his fist whenever he struggled. He wore it through all of the holiday break, keeping it tucked against his inside pocket when he needed the support the most. He even made sure to tuck it under his pillow at night when he wasn’t feeling well so he could heal a little quicker. 

  
When school resumed after the break, Magnus resigned himself to never finding out who the gift-giver had been. 

  
~!~

  
"Lightwood, Bane!” 

  
Alec’s head jumped up and he looked at Doc. She smiled at them and his heart jumped into his throat. _Oh no._ "Yes?" he managed, clearing his throat. 

  
"Since your lab partners are both absent today, the two of you team up. I expect you to finish, just like the others,” she called. 

  
Alec swallowed hard when Magnus’ eyes turned to him and dropped his eyes immediately. He couldn’t help seeing the omamori charm resting against Magnus’ skin and felt his cheeks start to flush. Everyone liked to talk about how Magnus wore it every single day now, but no one had figured out who had given it to him. 

  
He should have told Magnus, and then Magnus could stop wearing it like he was and the whole school would move on. But every single day that Magnus wore it was a day that he knew Magnus carried a little bit of him, and Alec couldn’t deny how much he liked that.

  
“It’s Alec, right?” 

  
Alec’s head darted up and he stared at Magnus, and the omamori that was right in front of him. He tilted his head back and met Magnus’ eyes, flushing under the look. "Yeah," he managed, collecting his things before heading to the lab table. "Here, we can work over here.” 

  
“Great,” Magnus said, stepping up beside Alec. "It looks like the experiment is pretty easy today. Do you mind writing up the lab report?"

  
"That’s fine,” Alec said. "Besides, I’ve seen your handwriting."

  
Magnus blinked in surprise before he burst out laughing. "We’ve barely known each other for thirty seconds and you’re already teasing me!” 

  
Alec paused and wondered if he was stepping over a line, but he wanted to make Magnus laugh like that again, as many times as he could. "Have you seen your handwriting? You deserve it." When Magnus broke into laughter again, Alec couldn’t help smiling back at him. 

  
"All right, all right,” Magnus said, gesturing to the equipment in front of them. "You get everything lined up and I’ll get the water boiling?"

  
Alec nodded. "No problem.” He turned to separate the different compounds, taking a deep breath. This close to Magnus, he could smell whatever cologne he used and that combined with the silver eyeliner he was wearing today had him wanting to stare far more than he should. He’d have to make sure to keep his attention on the report. 

  
Magnus hummed and got everything that he needed to be situated and frowned when the burner didn’t light the way it was supposed to. He leaned over the desk, getting a bit of a closer look at it. 

  
Alec turned to look at Magnus to make sure that he didn’t need help when he saw the burner flicker to life. In an instant, the omamori charm, that was too close to the fire, caught. "Magnus!"

  
Everyone in the class turned to look at him when he shouted and Magnus froze, going to move, the charm rocking close to his skin. His eyes widened and he reached to grab it, only to have Alec yank his hands away. "No!” 

  
Alec wrapped his hand in the sweater he was wearing and grabbed the charm, stifling the flame as much as he could, ripping the necklace back and snapping the chain from around Magnus’ neck, stuffing his hand under the sink nearby, cranking the cold water over his fist, the flame extinguishing seconds later. 

  
“What the hell is going on here?” Doc asked, striding forward. 

  
Magnus couldn’t look at her, he couldn’t, his eyes caught on the charred version of the charm that was being revealed in Alec’s still smoking palm. His breath caught and his eyes started to water. He reached out to touch it after it was under the water for a few more seconds. It was _ruined._

  
“I’m sorry,” Alec breathed, watching Magnus’ face crumple further as he picked it up. "I’m sorry, I should have reacted faster, I should have-"

  
"Well I think we’ve all learned a valuable lesson in lab safety, haven’t we?” Doc asked, her hands on her hips. "Ladies, take note. That could be your hair. Be _careful_ when you’re lighting these."

  
Magnus closed his fingers around the charm, pressing it against his chest as he took a deep breath. He barely registered Alec setting up the rest of the experiment for them, mourning the loss of the charm. 

  
"Did it mean that much to you?” Alec asked as he walked through the steps of the experiment when Magnus hadn’t said anything for the better part of ten minutes. 

  
“It did,” Magnus said, his voice soft. "I don’t, I don’t know who gave it to me, but. It means a lot to me."

  
Alec swallowed and focused on the burner in front of him. "If they were willing to get it for you for your birthday, I’m sure they’ll get you-”

  
Magnus’ head snapped up and he looked at Alec, confused. "How’d you know that?"

  
Alec stared at Magnus, his hands frozen. "What?” 

  
“How’d you know that it was a birthday present?” Magnus asked, tightening his hand around the omamori again. "How do you know it wasn’t something else?"

  
Alec swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "I, uh. You, you started wearing it, after, after, your uh…”

  
Magnus’ eyes widened and he reached into the inside pocket of the vest he was wearing, unfolding a small piece of paper. He placed it on top of the lab report, where Alec had started filling out the information there. The handwriting was the same. 

  
Alec froze and stared down at the note he’d written for Magnus more than a month ago. Magnus still _had_ it? 

  
“Alec?” Magnus asked, his voice soft. "Is, did, were _you_ the one to get this for me?"

  
Alec swallowed and focused on the experiment in front of him, his heart pounding hard enough that he couldn’t hear the whispers around them any longer. He gave a small nod. 

  
Magnus’ breath caught. "You did? Why?” 

  
Alec carefully turned the flame down and made a quick note on the lab report. "I thought it would bring you luck. And, and, you always catch a cold in the winter. It was supposed to help."

  
Magnus stared at him and then down at the charred version of the omamori in his hand. "It did,” he admitted quietly. "It was the best present I got for my birthday."

  
Alec flushed, staring at Magnus, even when the popular boy turned to face him fully. His heart was pounding even harder, especially when Magnus stepped a little closer. "I, I’m glad?” he managed. 

  
Magnus smiled faintly and looked down at the charm. "I’m going to miss it."

  
"I’ll buy you another one,” Alec blurted. When Magnus’ eyes shot back up to his in surprise, Alec could feel his cheeks burning, but he forced himself to keep talking. "I’ll, I can get you another one."

  
Magnus considered that and rubbed his thumb over the charred threads. "I have a better idea,” he said, looking up at Alec, watching his face twist in confusion. He started to smile. "What if we went together, and we picked out one together?"

  
Alec’s eyes were wide and he couldn’t look away from Magnus, from the tentative smile on his face. "I, yes, of course, I mean, if you didn’t like that one, we can, I can-”

  
“Alec?” Magnus interrupted, clearing his throat. "I’m asking you on a date."

  
Alec blinked and stared at Magnus. He felt frozen in place at the soft admission from Magnus before he shook himself, trying to bring himself to attention. "I, I yes. I’d, I’d love that,” the whispering from their classmates was starting to get even louder. "I didn’t, I didn’t expect anything when I gave you that. I just, I wanted you to-"

  
"I know,” Magnus said, smiling. "That makes me love it even more. But now I want to try to get to know the person who knows me a lot better than I know them. What do you say?"

  
Alec relaxed a little under the force of Magnus’ smile and nodded. "I’d love that.” 

  
Magnus gave a firm nod and tucked the charm into his pocket, quickly followed by the note. "Then we have an experiment to finish, right?"

  
"Yes?” Alec managed, unable to look away from Magnus, especially when the other boy leaned in close again. "We, uh. Yeah."

  
Magnus grinned and leaned up to press a kiss to the corner of Alec’s lips, watching him flush a darker red. "You’re sweet, Alec,” he whispered. "Thank you for my birthday present. And for saying yes to a date."

  
Alec stared back at Magnus, hopeless as always to look away from him. "You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Of, of course I’d agree to a date. You’re you!” 

  
Magnus grinned and rolled his eyes. "I think you need to look in a mirror, Alec." When he could see Alec gearing up to argue with him, his chin jutting out stubbornly, Magnus turned his head and stole another kiss, softly brushing their lips together. Alec froze all over again and he smiled. "But at least I know how to cut off all your arguments.” 

  
“Cheater,” Alec grumbled, glaring at Magnus. 

  
Magnus winked at him. "Never said I played fair, darling." He turned back to the experiment, reaching for one of the vials when there were suddenly fingers tangled in the edges of his vest and he was being pulled against Alec’s chest and kissed until he didn’t know how to breathe anymore. 

  
"If you two are _quite_ done…” 

  
Alec pulled back from the kiss, his cheeks burning, even as Magnus blinked, lazy and slow, looking up at him. "Sorry Doc," he whispered, unable to look away from Magnus. 

  
"Just get the experiment done, boys. Save the making out for your lockers later,” she ordered. 

  
“No promises,” Magnus said, swaying in closer to Alec to steal another kiss. 

  
Alec closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss. He’d take the potential detention if it meant he could kiss Magnus for just a few seconds longer. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
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> 
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